1. Field of the Invention
Circuits for high-frequency electromagnetic waves require coaxial plug connectors, which must have practically no abrupt changes in wave resistance within a line segment that they represent, in order to provide effective transmission of electromagnetic energy. In the currently conventional realization of such circuits in printed circuit board technology, multiple coaxial plug connectors, and specifically coaxial plug connectors and angled coaxial plug connectors in a high packing density, are employed. Their electrical connection to the printed circuit board is carried out through the use of terminal pins that can be press-fitted into the printed circuit board.
The invention relates to an HF coaxial plug connector, including coaxial plugs disposed in a multiple plug housing-coaxial plug module, coaxial sockets disposed in a multiple socket housing-coaxial socket module, the coaxial plug module and the coaxial socket module each secured to a base, for instance a printed circuit board and, in a state in which they are secured to the base, make a conductive connection, through the use of terminal pins thereof connected to the coaxial conductors at the bottom, with terminals associated with them on the base, coaxial inner conductors of the coaxial plug module having bottom terminal pins each disposed and insulated in bores in its housing acting as coaxial outer conductors, coaxial inner conductors of the coaxial socket module having bottom terminal pins disposed and insulated against respective coaxial outer conductors in receiving openings of its housing, and the coaxial socket module and the coaxial plug module having the same number of coaxial plugs and coaxial sockets in the same configuration, as well as a device for mutual centering thereof on sides where they connect.
Known HF coaxial plug connectors, as disclosed, for instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,343, require especially high production technology, effort and expense, if the coaxial plug connector is to have adequate flexibility in terms of the number of its coaxial terminals.
As U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,343 clearly shows with the aid of its drawings, the housings of the coaxial plug module and coaxial socket module are each constructed to receive six coaxial plugs and coaxial sockets, respectively, which are combined in pairs into subsidiary plugs and can be inserted into their housings. In this way it is possible to equip the housings of the coaxial plug module and coaxial socket module with two, four or six associated coaxial plugs and coaxial sockets, depending on the need and the particular application. The major production technology expense for such coaxial plug connectors is due to the unavoidable play which is needed for assembly, between the subsidiary plugs to be inserted into the housings, the attendant eccentricity of the coaxial plug view relative to the theoretical center, and impermissible skewed positions of coaxial plugs and/or coaxial sockets upon being press-fitted into receiving openings on the housing or the subsidiary plug. In this case in order to avoid impermissible incremental lengths in the positional tolerances, only very close tolerances can be allowed in the production of the individual components, leading to correspondingly high production costs.
As is shown by another reference, European Patent Application 0 582 960 A1, the aforementioned production cost of such coaxial plug connectors for the coaxial plug module can be substantially reduced by integrating the coaxial plugs with a housing of conductive material, in the form of a monoblock. The monoblock forms the coaxial outer conductors in the form of bores. Insulating plastic sheaths are inserted into those bores and the coaxial inner conductors are retained within the insulating plastic sheaths. Conversely, in the coaxial socket module, the coaxial sockets are press-fitted into receiving openings of a housing that is degenerated to form a base plate. Once again, the aforementioned problems in terms of the incremental length of the positional tolerances arise. The coaxial plug connector which is known from that last reference has the further advantage, over the coaxial plug connector known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,343, that the coaxial plug module and coaxial socket module can be equipped selectively for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 coaxial plug connectors. In other words, the quantitative versatility is not merely two but one.